3M Co.

Cash dividends have accounted for roughly 40 percent of the U.S. stock market's total return over the past 90 years. We think the four companies below are well-positioned to boost payouts in the years ahead. -- Nike (symbol NKE; recent price, $96). The sports apparel leader's net income surged 122 percent over the past nine years, to $2.7 billion. Its dividend has grown even faster: The payout is up 331 percent since 2005. Because Nike has come to define high-performance athletic shoes and clothing, it is, in a sense, a technology company. And its stock, at 26 times estimated earnings, carries a tech-like valuation. But high-quality growth stories rarely come cheaply. -- 3M (MMM;...

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Cash dividends have accounted for roughly 40 percent of the U.S. stock market's total return over the past 90 years. We think the four companies below are well-positioned to boost payouts in the years ahead.
-- Nike (symbol NKE; recent price, $96). The...

Serious cyclists become obsessed with flashy new miracle-material frames and high-tech componentry, but there's also plenty of innovation among the less-glamorous parts of the bike. Here's proof that essential-but-mundane products like inner tubes,...